Seizure Of Power

..We understand our own lives less and less. We live in the postmodern world, where everything is possible and almost nothing is certain. V.Havel

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January 28, 2005

X10

This is a e-mail I received from a pro after asking about X 10 equipment.. short of it is X10 sucks and lies to you at every turn.

I am sorry to tell you but X10 is not just a plug and play product although the sure pitch their products that way. They forget to tell you that you will need a coupling device installed in your electrical panel (Supplied by X10PRO, Leviton, Smarthome, and ACT) to connect all the device together similar to a network. Homes under 3000 square foot use a passive coupler (50.00 retail) and larger homes require amplified couplers (130 retail). All EMI/RFI noise suppressed power strips will have to be removed and filters will have to be installed on all dirty powered electronics TV's, Computers, Low Voltage Lighting, Fluorescent ballast's, and so forth.

The Professional ActiveHome Computer software is still a Beta product and conflicts heavily with other software applications including their own so a dedicated computer with just windows XP is recommended for reliability. I also recommend the older CM11a computer module and an outside software such as Homeseer or HAL. They are established products with a good track record of reliability.

As far as the Wireless products they have to except any and all communication interference signals within the 2.4 GHz frequency by their FCC certification which means no 802.11 a, b, or g within 500 feet and definitely no 2.4 GHz cordless phone within 200ft.
In a nut shell Wireless camera's are toys wired camera's work.

Pricing for a Home Automation System and CCTV system is not an off the shelf project you purchase and plug in. The systems needs to be designed and planned out or what you will get is a bunch of electronic junk which most people figure out about 2 days after X10's return policy.